Embedding physical activity in schools is a critical way to give children and young people the opportunity to be regularly active and reap the physical, mental, social, educational and environmental benefits.
Taking a “whole-school approach” is fundamental and The Health Improvement Commission have collaborated with physical activity experts, Teachers, Education Professionals and the Sports Commission to work alongside the Committee for Education, Sport and Culture to produce a Physical Activity Directive and a corresponding Be Active Framework.
The Directive describes schools’ responsibilities to support the development of a whole-school approach to physical activity. The Framework has seven areas to address and doing so will help schools align their practice with the Directive. It draws on the 'Creating Active Schools Framework'.
Over the coming months and years, the Be Active team will be working alongside school communities to help them adopt a whole-school approach to physical activity. Each school will receive ongoing and bespoke support to identify their areas of strength and identify opportunities for development to embed physical activity in their ethos.
KEY FINDINGS COMMON ACROSS SCHOOLS
Compliance with the activity directive
• Schools that have completed Be Active audits have demonstrated that they are meeting the policy objectives of the activity Directive. In particular they have embraced a consistent approach to embedding physical activity throughout the school day. They have also met the requirement of a minimum of two lessons of PE per week
Active travel is increasingly a priority.
•The number of pupils travelling actively to and from school has increased significantly since 2020 according to the Primary Schools’ active travel audit (which was first undertaken in 2020). The growth has particularly been in blended travel where children undertake a combination of travel options in one journey that include cycling and/ or walking.
Positive gradings for key indicator personal development and welfare in primary school OFSTED reports
•Of five primary schools that have more recently been inspected, four Schools recorded 'Good’ grades and one school recorded 'Excellent’ for the personal development and welfare indicator.
The Physical Activity directive aligns most closely to the personal development and welfare indicator although it is recognised that physical activity is only one element to this indicator.
Importance of measuring physical activity in and out of School
•All schools recognised the importance of measuring the levels of activity and seeing the impact of interventions such as playground initiatives, promoting active travel and increasing access to playgrounds and after school clubs.
• Moki trials have been completed in 11 primary schools, to help schools understand how active their pupils are.
The Daily Mile in Schools
Quick, social, inclusive and suitable for practically any weather, The Daily Mile, is a regular 15 minutes of self-paced running or jogging in the fresh air. It is undertaken in schools worldwide, including here in the Bailiwick and it remains a very important and fun part of many primary schools’ day.
Adding a Daily Mile could provide an important dose of inclusive activity as well as social interaction. Recent research showed that The Daily Mile could be 'a cost-effective part of a system-wide approach to childhood obesity prevention', especially for girls. To start or expand The Daily Mile in your school, organisation or workplace please get in touch with Alex Costen